Arnold Leroy Lewis Junior
Early Life and Ancestry Lewis traced his history back to an African Tribesman 100,000 years ago. The African Tribe that he came from lasted long until the 1600s, when they were taken by Europeans to the Americas. Settling down in Virginia and North Carolina, they mainly lived there with a few of them settling down in California, New York, Georgia, and even Colorado. Even before 2353, Lewis' family had a history of service in the military. In the 20th Century, two of his great uncles served in World War II, and one of his direct anscestors served in the United States Army during the 2nd Korean War. Using the stories of bravery, Lewis had set a goal to join the military, but soon, it was shattered. Arnold Lewis was born on Earth to a middle class family. His father was in the UNSC Army, and his Mother was a stay at home wife. He had a very good upbringing, until his Junior year of high school. After a homecoming game, Lewis and his friends were walking down a street to the local gas station when members of the rival Football team jumped them. Lewis picked up a sharp nail from a construction site, and stabbed one fo the football players in the eye. Him and his friends got away, but the police were there soon after. For the next year, Lewis was inducted into a local gang, and ran into the cops very frequently. One day, his gang got into a fight when a member of the rival gang took out a M6A pistol. Lewis ducked, but his best friend at the time was shot in the heart, specifically the aorta. Lewis was later hit over the head with a brick, and left to die. The next day, an UNSC Marine Corps recruiter found Lewis lying along the side of the road. The recruiter picked Lewis up, and took him to the local hospital where he was treated. The UNSC Marine Corps recruiter, noticing Lewis' physical prowess and his mental toughness, along with his smarts, decided that he wouldn't turn him in to the local police as long as he joined the UNSC Marine Corps. Lewis didn't hesitate, and signed the papers that day. UNSC Life Training Lewis was sent to Reach for standard UNSC Marine Corps training. This featured, but was not limited to: Marksmanship, CQC, Hand to Hand Combat, and intense Physical Training. Lewis didn't do so well on marksmanship, but was very good at CQC and Hand to Hand Combat. He stood out especially when clearing buildings, doing so and setting the record time of anyone on Reach. He graduated in June of 2491, and was told about Project: Orion. He signed up, and was shipped out. Project: Orion/Spartan-I When Lewis arrived at the other side of Reach, he was immediately thrown into Project: Orion. His first day, He had to run eight miles in full combat gear, do two hundred pushups, and five hundred sit ups. The Drill Instructors were seasoned veterans of the Insurrection, and ran them hard. After the first year, Lewis was able to hit a target the size of a penny at one thousand meters with a 4x Scope. Project: ORION training lasted for seven years. In the sixth year, the Spartan-Is recieved their first augmentations. There was a washout rate of 92%, and Lewis was one of the lucky ones. One of the Augmentations, using a drug outlawed by the UNSC was supposed to decrease the reaction times of the Spartans. Although their reaction time was decreased, many of the I's, including Lewis, suffered mental problems for the rest of their lives. After completing training, Lewis was sent on missions in support of the UNSC. One of the many people he met during his training was Avery Johnson, whom he would later meet at Paris IV. The Insurrection Ever since the founding of the UNSC in the 2100s, many groups, at first the Frieden and the Koslovs, have fought for independence against the Military-Scientific Arm of the UEG. With the Rainforest Wars, the Jovian Moons Campaign, and a Marine deployment on Mars led to many things that the UNSC uses in the 2500s. As the Koslovs and Friedens became lesser and lesser, and as the UNSC's power grew, many other groups, mainly in the outer colonies began to rebel. Groups such as the URF, Eradanius Rebellion, and the Nitroneon Rebels began to cause a very large thorn in the UNSC's side. The first SPARTANs, known as Project: ORION or the SPARTAN-I Program was created to fight these rebels. Operation: FALLEN WAKE In Operation: FALLEN WAKE, Lewis was inserted on the UNSC Stealth Ship Shadow of the Deep onto the Colony of Wake IV. He moved from the landing site to his target, a Rebel Colonel named James Herring. He was dressed as a normal civillian with a lethal payload: twenty pounds of high explosive. He went into a warehouse overseeing the hotel, and saw the Colonel walk out of the building on his way to a café. Lewis left the warehouse, and walked to the back of the hotel, climbing a fire escape and going into the room that Herring was vacating. After hiding underneath the bed, Herring returned, and lied down. When Herring stopped snoring, Lewis silently climbed out from underneath the bed, and fired a silenced M6C Magnum into the brain of the Colonel. Knowing that the bodyguards checked in the room every ten minutes, Lewis took out the high explosive, and set it around the room. He climbed out through the fire escape, and on the way to the pick-up zone for the Pelican, Lewis detonated the high explosive, causing the hotel to collapse. It was classified by the UNSC soon after, and would be declassified in 2561. Lewis would recieve a Bronze Star for the assassination. Operation: TERRA FIRMA In Operation: TERRA FIRMA, Lewis was deployed to the colony of Venus IV to take down a large rebellion on that planet. Lewis and three other Spartan-Is fought a guerrilla war against the Rebel Government, eventualy destroying over fifty factories, assassinating the corrupt UNSC Ambassador, along with Colonel Nathan Xander and the Govenor of the planet. After launching attacks for four months, the UNSC declared a BLOODY ARROW, and bombarded the planet with nuclear warheads. Lewis after witnessing the mass destruction by the nuclear weapons threw up on the floor of the UNSC Rhine and began to wonder if it was a bad desicion to join the UNSC Marine Corps. Operation: SAGUARO This battle record is currently classified Eyes Only under Code Chi Delta. The Nitroneon Rebellion This battle record is currently classified Eyes Only under Code Chi Omega. Operation: TREBUCHET This battle record is currently classified Eyes Only under Code Omega Beta. Operation: TANGLEWOOD This battle record is currently classified Eyes Only under Code Beta Alpha. Operation: TIDAL WAVE This battle record is currently classified Eyes Only under Code Epsilon Beta. Operation: EPIMETHEUS This battle record is currently classified Eyes Only under Code Alpha Theda. The Human-Covenant War In 2524, a homogenizing alien race, calling itself the Covenant invaded and glassed Harvest. After that, the UNSC sent a fleet to take back the planet. The Battle of Harvest On November 1st, 2525, Lewis was deployed with Vice Admiral Preston Cole to take back the lost colony of Harvest. For the six years between the deployment and the battle, Lewis spent his time in cryo-chambers, drastically reducing his biological age. When he came out of cryo in 2531, Lewis saw the glassed ball that used to be Harvest. Lewis, and another Spartan-I put on a space suit and took two FURY Tactical Nuclear weapons and proceeded to attach them to the sides of Covenant Destroyers. After attaching them surreptitiously, Lewis and the other Spartan-I pushed off, and floated away. After reaching the safety of Preston Cole’s flagship, The FURY Tactical Nuclear weapons went off in a blinding fireball. Since the nuclear weapons went off inside of the shield, the nuclear payload was increased, completely destroying the Covenant ship. As soon as the Covenant ship went up in a fireball, the other Covenant engaged, destroying 2/3rds of the fleet. Eventually, the UNSC overcame the Covenant onslaught, and won the battle. The battle was hailed as a victory, and Lewis received a Medal of Honor for attaching the FURY Tactical Nuclear Weapon. The Battle of Jericho VII At the Battle of Jericho VII, Lewis was a Staff Sergeant, and a squad leader of the UNSC Marines stationed there. On February 10th, 2535, The Covenant landed on the Planet, and attempted to take it over. The Marines and UNSC Army Forces, knowing about Harvest and the other outer colonies, were determined to not let the same thing happen to them. A tough resistance was put up, causing a three-day stalemate. In the Capital of Jericho VII, Lewis and his Marines slaughtered many Unggoy, Kig-yar, and Elites using SRS-99A S2-AM Sniper Rifles. Lewis still had his prized M-99 SASR Gauss Rifle, and used it to devastating effect against Hunters and Elites. Although the fight on the ground was a stalemate, the Covenant soon took control of the space around Jericho VII, and began to glass the planet. Lewis narrowly made it off, along with two members of his squad that weren’t killed when an UNSC Naval Captain learned of a Spartan-I. They were evacuated on the UNSC Jack-o-Lantern, and Lewis saw the planet being glassed. Lewis had seen destruction like this, but it hurt him. It was one of the only times he would cry in his service with the UNSC. Lewis would later receive a Colonial Cross for his actions at this battle. Also, this was the first battle where Lewis would learn of the SPARTAN-II Program, when Blue Team relieved them of their crucial position alongside a major road. The Battle of New Harmony After the Battle of Jericho VII, Lewis was re-deployed to New Harmony, and was given the command of an ODST squad. Lewis refused the normal ODST armor, and still wore his UNSC Marine Corps armor with his Sergeant’s Cap. Although most of the battle took place in the space above New Harmony, a Covenant ship was able to land three lances of Stealth Elites and Grunts. Lewis had first encountered the special-operations forces of the Covenant at Jericho VII, and he knew what they looked like. Although the Active Camouflage was effective, you could see the slight blurred outline against the background. Using a prototype BR-55, Lewis was able to score many kills on the Special-Operations Elites, and his ODST Squad destroyed the Lances with the combined firepower of the new MA5B Assault Rifle. New Harmony was not glassed by the Covenant until much, much later, and Lewis was able to be re-deployed to another UNSC colony world. Lewis would win a Bronze Star for this battle. Battle of New Constantinople On the planet of New Constantinople, Lewis was re-assigned to an UNSC Army Platoon, and served with dignity in the defense of the planet. It was the first time Lewis had seen the third wave of the UNSC SPARTAN Programs, the SPARTAN-IIIs. Lewis was sick that the UNSC would use small children, particularly orphans for their program, which first started out with outstanding UNSC members. Lewis’ UNSC Army Platoon distinguished themselves, but were later slaughtered when a force of fifty lances attacked their position on Hill 135. Lewis and a few of the members of his Platoon would make it out alive in the mass evacuation that followed. The planet was glassed, and Lewis refused to watch. Lewis would win the Medal of Honor, along with a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, and two Purple Hearts for this battle. The Battle of Orin After the Battle of New Constantinople, Lewis was re-deployed to Orin to be treated for his wounds. Although it was an outer colony, it was on the other side of UNSC space from the Covenant. Lewis would fully recover from his wounds, and was given orders to raise a Colonial Militia on the planet along with his rival from the SPARTAN-I Project. When they first saw each other, they got into a bar fight, but would later go on to become friends and serve through the battle. Lewis was captured after decimating a Special-Operations Lance, defending the capitol, and taking back a radio tower on the planet. He was tortured on an unknown Covenant ship until his rival and his platoon of Colonial Militia rescued him. The Colonial Militia had brought along with them five FURY Tactical Nuclear Weapons, and when they evacuated, they detonated them. Three of the invading Covenant ships were destroyed, and five more were damaged. Orin was glassed, and Lewis would receive the Purple Heart and a Colonial Cross for his actions at the battle. The Siege of Paris IV At Paris IV, Lewis was assigned as a squad leader beside another SPARTAN-I, Avery Johnson. Lewis and Johnson would become friends after they realized that they were in the same project, but would later be split as the Covenant pushed back the UNSC. In the battle of a suburb of the capital, Lewis and his Marines had used all of their grenades, and Lewis, under heavy fire, ran out and captured some Covenant weapons, including two Carbines, a Fuel Rod Gun, a Beam Rifle, three Needlers, and a small box of Plasma Grenades. Lewis cycled through the Covenant Carbine and Beam rifle, receiving a large dose of radiation. The UNSC would later classify Lewis with Borens Syndrome, which, along with the Spartan-I Augmentations, would serve Lewis good in his fight on Africa with the flood. Lewis was evacuated after the Covenant punched a hole in the defenses, and was awarded a Silver Star and a Purple Heart for his massive dose of radiation. The Borens Syndrome was a hoax however, because in 2549, a Human news reporter found classified documents about Project: ORION, and was about to make them public. The ONI assassinated the news reporter right when he was about to reveal what the project was. All members of Project: ORION were classified with Borens Syndrome, although the SPARTAN-I Augmentations protected against radiation. The Battle of Reach After 2499, Lewis was deployed to the UNSC’s military stronghold: Reach. Lewis was now a Gunnery Sergeant, and was assigned to lead a platoon of ODSTs on the planet. Lewis still wore his UNSC Marine Armor, but preferred instead to wear the light “boonie cap” because of the hot weather that summer. They trained hard, and the training would soon come in handy. Lewis awoke at 0450 hours that day, and received word of an approaching Covenant fleet. Lewis ran around the camp, awoke his ODSTs, and sprinted to the armory where he picked up an MA5B ICWS and an M6D pistol. The ODSTs fought bravely for the next two hours, but the Covenant, in a massive invasion pushed the Marines off of Reach. Out of the 16 ODSTs, 15 died, and Lewis and the surviving ODST, a young Private First Class named Travis Hawkins lived, and were picked up by a Prowler of the UNSC Spitfire. They were placed on the Super Carrier, and it made a random jump, then jumped back to Earth. Lewis cried during the slip space jump, knowing that his birthday was probably the greatest day of grief for the UNSC. Lewis was awarded the Medal of Honor, the Red Legion of Honor, the Purple Heart, and three Bronze Stars for his actions at Reach. The First Battle of Earth After Lewis survived Reach, he was promoted to Sergeant Major and deployed to the outlying areas of New Mombassa, Africa. When a Covenant Exploratory Fleet, commanded by the High Prophet of Regret came to Earth, the resistance put up by the Humans startled them. Lewis fought through the streets of Old Mombassa, but was evacuated before Regret slip space jumped. Within days, the Covenant would return, this time with a much, much larger fleet. The Second Battle of Earth After the Covenant High Command received Regret’s distress signal, they proceeded to go back to Earth, and end this Human resistance forever. Lewis took part in many small, hit and run battles in Africa. They would later culminate in his escape to Europe. Lewis and his platoon of Marines used guerilla tactics against the Brutes in Africa. By hitting multiple camps in the space of hours, they caused havoc in Africa against the Covenant. In one, Lewis and his platoon were moving through the Jungle when they were ambushed. Lewis took a spiker to the stomach, and had to be evacuated. He was soon back on the battlefield, and launched a raid against a Brute camp in a clearing. Providing sniper support from a Hornet using a M-99 SASR, Lewis softened up the resistance and soon went to town using an M-7 SMG. After the successful raid, Lewis and a force of Elites were sent to Kenya. Battle of Nairobi On the way to Nairobi, Lewis saw the destroyed buildings and the destruction in the city. They were to take it back from the Covenant, but intelligence was horrid and scattered. Almost as soon as they landed, they were hit by Brutes, and would work their way to an intersection. At the intersection, a Scarab appeared, and proceeded to decimate the UNSC-Sangheili Forces. Lewis and his platoon ran through the houses until they reached a cul-de-sac of sorts. They held out for most of the night against Brute stalkers, Chieftains, regulars and bodyguards. When the daylight came, the UNSC and Sangheili forces decided to run for it. They used explosive to blast a hole into a wall, and they ran out into the surrounding jungle. Lewis was hit with another Spiker, and soon faded into unconsciousness. Lewis was taken onboard a Covenant Assault Carrier, and was brutally tortured by a Brute Chieftain. Lewis suffered a few cracked ribs, but nothing serious. Lewis nursed his wounds until Flood overran the ship. The power went down, and Lewis was able to escape his cell. A small flood infection form jumped onto him, but Lewis was able to rip it off without any side effects, other than regenerative abilities. Lewis grabbed a Spiker off one of the dead Brutes, and got into a Banshee. After he made sure that there were no Flood on it, he flew it as far as the fuel allowed, and crash-landed by the Mediterranean Sea. Lewis soon reached a decimated port town, and managed to find a rowboat. Miraculously, he was at the Straight of Gibraltar, and rowed across that night. He soon collapsed on a beach and Spain, but was rescued by an UNSC patrol. Lewis would win a Silver Star and a Purple Heart for his actions. Battle of Europe In the Battle of Europe, Lewis led a platoon of Marines an assault on the Covenant. They succeeded, and was able to push the Covenant out of Europe. Lewis would later learn that at around the same time, Spartan-117 of the SPARTAN-II program sacrificed himself in the destruction of an ancient fortress world, along with destroying the Flood’s Gravemind, causing all Flood to loose control and die. The Covenant had poor morale due to the murder of the High Prophet of Truth, and was soon pushed back from Earth. The Human-Covenant War was now officially over. Battle of Artic IV In the early months of 2553, Lewis was given confidential orders to go to Artic IV for the purpose of mopping up the Covenant. Lewis served as a squad leader, but his squad was soon decimated at the hands of the Covenant. Lewis held out for several minutes before running into a crevice. It just so happened that the crevice was only fifty feet deep, and Lewis’ special grappling hook attachment to his SRS-99D S2-AM saved his life. He was found by a team of SPARTAN-IIs, and fought with them for the remainder of the Battle. Lewis was awarded the Medal of Honor and the Purple Heart for his actions. Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps In 2554, after the Battle of Artic IV, Lewis was put onto a list of people who would be suitable for the honorary position of Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps. He was the only one who was in Project: Orion and he was the best one for the job. In March, he received a phone call, and accepted the job. He was moved to the Political Headquarters for the UNSC located in Sydney, Australia. There, he had to deal with the political pressures of the UEG, along with what politicians wanted. He did his job excellently, and in 2557, he retired. Retirement to Death After his retirement, Lewis settled down at a small farm in North Carolina. He served as a motivational speaker and wrote a book entitled: Innies, Covies, and Politics: The Story of My Life. He also wrote a book about all of the Spartan Programs after all information was declassified. He titled it: The Section-III Freaks: From I to III. He soon began to experience even more severe complications from Project: Orion, and died soon thereafter. He left behind a wife and two sons, both of which are serving in the UNSC. At his funeral, some declassified documents from Project: Orion were released, and he was awarded a third Colonial Cross for his actions at Tribute. Personal Life Marriage Lewis was married in the summer of 2500 to an UNSC Navy Petty Officer. She miraculously lived through the entire Human-Covenant War, serving aboard a Prowler in the Office of Naval Intelligence. He had a son with her in the spring of 2502, and he had another son in the fall of 2505. They both joined the UNSC during the Human Covenant War, and also miraculously survived many battles. The eldest son, now Major Andrew James Lewis is an ODST, and the youngest son, now Gunnery Sergeant Arnold Leroy Lewis III is serving on the newly rebuilt Cairo Station. Both sons were known as Spartan 1.1s, and were given shots of some of the same augments that Lewis had at birth. They were much, much safer, and they suffer from no mental problems what so-ever. Religion Also, Lewis is a Christian, and was raised that way from birth. His faith has helped him through many times in his life, including the torture and the glassing of planets. He was known to keep a Bible in his front armor pocket. Weapons Lewis was the CQC/CQB Specialist for his S-I squad, and often carried a M-90 CAWS and a M-7 SMG. However, he often carried a M-99 Gauss Rifle and a BR-55HB SR in his later years. He also frequently used the SRS-99 Series for long range engagements.